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To conclude, I am not without hope, that your majesty managing this business according to your great wisdom, unto which I acknowledge myself not to be worthy to be card-holder, or a candle-holder, will make profit of this accident as a thing of God's sending.

Lastly, I may not forget to represent to your majesty, that there is no thinking of arraignments until these things be somewhat accommodated, and some outward and superficial reconciliation at least made between my lord chancellor and my lord chief justice; for this acci dent is a banquet to all the delinquent's friends. But this is a thing that falleth out naturally of itself, in res spect of the judges going circuit, and my lord chancellor's infirmity with hope of recovery: and although this protraction of time may breed some doubt of mutability, yet I have lately learned out of an excellent letter of a certain king, that the sun sheweth sometimes watry to our eyes, but when the cloud is gone, the sun is as before. God ever preserve your majesty. Your majesty's most humble subject and bounden servant,

Feb. 21, 1615.

FR. BACON.

CXXXII. To the KING, on the breach of the Rawley's

new company.

It may please your most excellent Majesty,

YOUR privy council have wisely and truly discerned of the orders and demands of the new company, that they are unlawful and unjust; and themselves have now acknowledged the work impossible without them, by their petition in writing now registered in the council book; so as this conclusion of their own making, is become peremptory and final to themselves; and the impossibility confessed, the practice and abuse reserved to the judgment the state shall make of it.

This breach then of this great contract is wholly on their part, which could not have been if your majesty had broken upon the patent; for the patent was your majesty's act, the orders are their act; and in the

Resuscitatio.

former case they had not been liable to farther qu tion, now they are.

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There rest two things to be considered: the one, if they, like Proteus when he is hard held, shall yet again their shape; and shall quit their orders convinced of injustice, and lay their imposition only upon the trade of whites, whether your majesty shall farther expect the other if your majesty dissolve them upon this breach on their part, what is farther to be done for the setting of the trade again in joint, and for your own honour and profit: in both which points I will not presume to give opinion, but only to break the business for your majesty's better judgment.

For the first, I am sorry the occasion was given by my lord Coke's speech at this time of the commitment of some of them, that they should seek omnem movere lapidem to help themselves. Better it had been, if, as my lord Fenton said to me that moming very judiciously and with a great deal of foresight, that for that time they should have had a bridge made for them to be gone. But my lord Coke floweth according to his own tides, and not according to the tides of business. The thing which my lord Coke said was good and too little, but at this time it was too much; but that is past. Howsoever, if they should go back and seek again to entertain your majesty with new orders or offers, as is said to be intended, your majesty hath ready two answers of repulse, if it please your majesty to use them.

The one, that this is now the fourth time that they have mainly broken with your majesty, and contradicted themselves. First, they undertook to dye and dress all the cloths of the realm; soon after, they wound themselves into the trade of whites, and came down to the proportion contracted. Secondly, they ought to have performed that contract according to their subscription pro rata, without any of these orders and impositions; soon after, they deserted their subscription, and had recourse to these devices of orders. Thirdly, if by order, and not by subscription, yet their orders should have laid it upon the whites; which is an unlawful and pro

hibited trade; nevertheless they would have brought in lawful and settled trades, full manufactures, merchandise of all natures, poll-money or brotherhoodmoney, and I cannot tell what. And now lastly, it seemeth, they would go back to lay it upon the whites; and therefore whether your majesty will any more rest and build this great wheel of your kingdom upon these broken and brittle pins, and try experiments farther upon the health and body of your state, I leave to your princely judgment.

The other answer of repulse is a kind of apposing them what they will do after the three years contracted for; which is a point hitherto not much stirred, though Sir Lionel Cranfield hath ever beaten upon it in his speech with me; for after the three years they are not tied otherways than as trade give encouragement, of which encouragement your majesty hath a bitter taste: and if they should hold on according to the third year's proportion, and not rise on by farther gradation, your majesty hath not your end. No, I fear, and have long feared, that this feeding of the foreigner may be dangerous; for as we may think to hold up our clothing by vent of whites, till we can dye and dress: so they, I mean the Dutch, will think to hold up their manufacture of dying and dressing upon our whites, till they can clothe: so as your majesty hath the greatest reason in the world to make the new company to come in and strengthen that part of their contract; and, they refusing, as it is confidently believed they will, to make their default more visible to all men.

For the second main part of your majesty's consultation, that is, what shall be done supposing an absolute breach, I have had some speech with Mr. Secretary Lake, and likewise with Sir Lionel Cranfield; and, as I conceive, there may be three ways taken into consideration: the first is, that the old company be restored, who, no doubt, are in appetite, and, as I find by Sir Lionel Cranfield, not unprepared; and that the licences, the one, that of 30000 cloths, which was the old licence; the other that of my lord Cumberland's, which is without stint, my lord of Cumberland receiving satisfaction, be

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compounded into one entire licence without stint; and then, that they amongst themselves take order for that profit which hath been offered to your majesty. This is a plain and known way, wherein your majesty is not an actor; only it hath this, that the work of dying and dressing cloths, which hath been so much glorified, seemeth to be wholly relinquished, if you leave there. The second is, that there be a free trade of cloth, with this difference, that the dyed and dressed pay no custom, and the whites double custom, it being a merchandise prohibited and only licentiate. This continueth in life and fame the work desired, and will have a popular applause: but, I do confess, I did ever think that trading in companies is most agreeable to the English nature, which wanteth that same general vein of a republic which runneth in the Dutch, and serveth to them instead of a company; and therefore I dare not advise to adventure this great trade of the kingdom, which hath . been so long under government, in a free or loose trade. The third is a compound way of both, which is, to go on with the trade of whites by the old company restored; and that your majesty's profit be raised by order amongst themselves, rather than by double custom, wherein you must be the actor; and that nevertheless there be added a privilege to the same company to carry out cloths dyed, and dressed, custom-free; which will still continue as a glorious beam of your majesty's royal design. I hope and wish at least, that this which I have written may be of some use to your majesty, to settle, by the advice of the lords about you, this great business: at the least it is the effect of my care and poor ability, which, if in me be any, it is given me to no other end but faithfully to serve your majesty. God ever preserve you. Your majesty's most humble subject

and bounden servant,
FR. BACON.

Feb. 25, 1615.

CXXXIII. To Sir GEORGE VILLIERS.
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I HUMBLY pray you not to think me over-hasty or much in appetite, if I put you in remembrance of my motion of strengthening me with the oath and trust of a privy counsellor; not for mine own strength, for as to that, I thank God, I am armed within, but for the strength of my service. The times I submit to you, who knoweth them best. But sure I am, there were never times which did more require a king's attorney to be well armed, and, as I said once to you, to wear a gauntlet and not a glove: the arraignments, when they proceed; the contention between the chancery and king's bench; the great cause of the rege inconsulto, which is so precious to the king's prerogative; divers other services that concern the king's revenue and the repair of his estate. Besides, it pleaseth his majesty to accept well of my relations touching his business, which may seem a kind of interloping, as the merchants call it, for one that is no counsellor. But I leave all unto you, thinking myself infinitely bounden unto you for your great favours, the beams whereof I see plainly reflect upon me even from others; so that now I have no greater ambition than this, that as the king sheweth himself to you the best master, so I might be found your best servant. In which wish

and vow I shall ever rest,

Feb. 27, 1615.

Most devoted and affectionate
to obey your commands,

FR. BACON.

Rawley's Resuscita tio.

CXXXIV. To his MAJESTY, about the Earl of Stephens's

Somerset.

It may please your most excellent Majesty, AT my last access to your majesty, it was fit for me to consider the time and your journey, which maketh me now trouble your majesty with a remnant of that I thought then to have said: besides your old warrant and commission to me, to advertise your majesty when

first collection,p.105.

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